Considering I live smack bang in the middle of the Indian/Pacific Ocean, not many big brands like to ship our way OR if they do, it's not too affordable. Being the cheapskate I am, I refuse to pay exuberant amounts for shipping. I just can't justify it. Why should I pay $30+ for shipping, when I could use that money for another product... you feel me?

I've searched the high seas to find the best and most affordable sites that provide affordable or free shipping to the Australia/New Zealand region or just have free shipping worldwide! HOORAY! I've purchased from these sites quite a few times so I definitely do recommend them!

First up is BEAUTYBAY. This site is based in the UK but they offer FREEEEE worldwide shipping IF you spend over $33 dollars OR it's $4.20 if you spend less. I've used this site for years but I've noticed that they've steadily increased the amount you need to spend in order to qualify for free shipping. Nonetheless, they offer a wide variety of brands so it's quite easy to spend a lot more than you initially planned. The only downside to the site, is the fact that it takes its sweet ass time getting to you. The site advertises a 7-10 day arrival, however it takes around about 2-4 weeks to get to you.Some popular brands they stock that I've bought are: Macadamia Hair Oil, Anastasia Beverly Hills (Brow Wiz and Dip Brow Pomade - waaaaay cheaper than Australian stockists) Beauty Blenders, Zoeva Brushes, Tangle Teezers, The Wet Brush and a bunch of random skincare products.All in all, it's a great site that's easy to navigate and is stacks cheaper than most Australian sites.10/10 would recommend.

Next up is iHerb. Ahhh good old iHerb. Shipping isn't free but it is super cheap, I usually pay around $8 max and that's pretty much cheaper than the price of domestic shipping! They stock a bunch of goods from makeup/skincare to home goods, supplements and a bunch of other random things. First time buyers can get 10% off with the code: TWC525. If you're after E.L.F or Real Techniques products then iHerb or Amazon is your best bet. The prices are super cheap and aren't inflated and they ship to you pretty fast!

Amazon. Amazon is great for a lot of things but I do on occasion make the beauty purchase from there. I think the most I've paid for shipping may have been between $20-$30. There are heaps of beauty brands on there that do ship here (not super cheap though), plus a lot of the add on products are super cheap and don't really add to your shipping total. However, you have to keep in mind that it is priced in USD so you'll be paying more than advertised; due to the currency conversion. If you're looking to save a few dollars, keep an eye on the conversion rate so you can strike while the iron is hot! Just kidding, but in all seriousness, check out XE Currency for conversion rates. Something to be aware of is fake products. I've read reviews where people have been sent fake products so definitely read the reviews. Fortunately, I haven't been hit with a fakie so my advice is to do your research on the sellers before hitting buy.

Lookfantastic. This site is a new one, I've only used it once to buy my ex1 foundation (bought the wrong shade d'oh) but they offer FREE SHIPPING. They also stock a variety of skincare and beauty products. However, it's not much cheaper than buying it from an Australian stockist; if anything it's the same price. I'd recommend it only if you're after ex1 and even then, the prices fluctuate very frequently.

Adorebeauty. FREE SHIPPING on all Australian orders. This site stocks everything from haircare to beauty and skincare. Brands include: The Balm, Alpha H, Becca and loads more! Definitely reliable and trusted!

Mecca. I had never given Mecca a chance because I'd never stepped foot into their stores until this year. Where I live there's only a Cosmetica and to be honest, I was intimidated by the store. Weird right? I just didn't think it was for me and usually in stores with a similar calibre, the store assistants usually look down on you if you look a certain way or look like you can't afford their products. I'm very glad to say that Mecca is nothing like that. They have impeccable, amazing customer service! I'm in love! I found my new beauty heaven! Seriously, they pretty much stock all the big cosmetic brands you can think of: Urban Decay, Too Faced, NARS, Stila and so much more. Every time I walk into a Mecca store whether it be Cosmetica or Maxima (I've recently moved) I've been blown away by their service.

Best part yet they are more than happy to provide you with samples of most products, you can also get foundation matched and they'll provide you with a sample of it you'd like to test it out and try it at home. Most recently, I was given some cleanser samples and it's helped me test the product for a few days before so I can determine whether it's working for me before I commit to buying it. Their online store has a modern beautiful layout and they provide free shipping over $75AUD.

Lipstick Republic. Also a new one, I've only ever bought one thing from there and it was a Z palette for all my makeup geek shadows. At the time I did, they had a shipping offer up so keep your eyes out for that to save you some $$. They also provide a discount for first time buyers too!

Redefining Beauty. If you're after Sigma brushes then this site has a whole variety of them!I grabbed some stuff from there last year when their prices were around about on par with the actual Sigma site. Unfortunately, due to the decline in the AUD they had to increase their prices so it is more expensive than when I first got my brushes. All in all, it's still a decent site with decent shipping compared to the prices you'd pay getting brushed shipped from Sigma themselves.

Makeup Geek. There's a reason why MUG shadows are talked about so often! They're extremely affordable and shipping is around $10. Each shadow from their normal line is roughly $6. The shadows are high quality and extremely pigmented.

Why would you go for a single shadows instead of a ready made palette? Great question! As much as pre made palettes are great, sometimes there are shades that you just don't use or might not suit you. Buying single shadows ensures that you can customise palettes to your preferences and get all the colours you're after! Depending on how many shades you buy determines what size empty palette you'll need to store the shadows.

Empty palette? What's that?When you buy single shadows, they don't have a home they belong to. You're buying a little or many pans of colour so you're going to need something to store them in. That's where a palette comes into play, each pan is magnetic so if you choose to buy a z palette the pans magnetise with the palette and stays in place unless you want to move them around. You don't necessarily need to buy a z palette, I just chose to due to convenience. I've seen people make palettes out do photo frames etc... So it's really up to you on how you'd like to store them. When I first got my shadows I just stored them in a Zoeva zip up brush pouch until I had enough to buy a palette.

LuxolaLast but not least, Luxola. This site is also an allrounder beauty site selling a variety of brands from Sigma. Zoeva, Benefit, Becca, Make Up For Ever, The Balm and loads more. Shipping is free over $55 or $15 for orders under that. They have sales quite regularly, so if you're eyeing a product off I'd recommend you sign up to their newsletter so you're one of the first to hear about any new promotions. Something to note is that their promotions cannot be used on "non-sale" brands such as Zoeva or Urban Decay. If you're wanting to purchase something from there and have a Visa card, use the code VISALX20 for 20% off your order.

One site I haven't mentioned is Discount Beauty Boutique and that's because I haven't shopped with them just yet. They stock a lot of Morphe, ABH, Lorac, Milani, Too Faced and a whole lot more! I've heard great things about the site but they sell out quite quickly so I'm just waiting for the right products to come back into stock!

So that wraps it up, these are all the stores I enjoy shopping at, have found reliable and would definitely shop at again. I hope you've discovered something new! Let me know if you check them out!

Time to talk all about the second part of my haul. This post will be all about the Models Prefer products I picked up from Priceline.

When I think about makeup brands Models Prefer isn't one that comes to mind. It's not that I hate their products, it's that I've never had a reason or overwhelming urge to buy anything from their line. Nothing from their range has ever jumped out for me.. However, I've noticed that over the past couple of times I've popped into Priceline, they've either repackaged or brought out new products in much nicer packaging. I'm a massive sucker for good packaging so naturally I knew I had to buy something. Lucky for me, there just happened to be a promotion going at the time where if you spend $25 you get a free gift and that just further fuelled my need to buy! Ahh free gifts...... It gets me all the time.

So what did I end up getting?I settled on the models prefer soft touch mineral bronzer and a nude coloured lipstick. I can't remember the colours exactly because I'm currently blogging on the train but I will update with colours when I get home.

Am I happy with my purchase or do I regret it?I'm pretty happy with what I got, I'm stoked that the lipstick is the perfect shade of nude that I've been searching for! The past couple of months I've been in a cycle of regretful buying. I've bought a variety if nude colours that I've taken home only to realise that they're either too pink or too brown. This MP lipstick however, is a shade slightly darker than my lips, has a great creamy formula which is ever so slightly sheer. The only caveat to it is its lasting power which is really non existent, this means I have to constantly reapply it a few times a day but because I'm not usually a lipstick wearer, I really don't mind. It's the perfect kind of nude that you could wear to work or for a job interview or on one of those days you want to up the ante on a natural look.

What about the mineral bronzer?Great question, glad you asked! The bronzer is a three in one where each shade can be applied seperate or combined to give you a nice bronze-y glow. I think it provides a very natural, just kissed glow and isn't too heavy or dark for everyday wear. It is super soft and easily blendable and buildable if you wanted to deepen your bronze-y look.

And what about all the free stuff?!Ah yes, the freebies. Let's go through what came in the GWP (Gift with purchase) set.

1. Another lipstick. It's in the same line as the range I did buy, however this colour is too pinky toned for me. For some reason my lips just don't dig pink and no matter how hard I try, I just can't rock it. I do however think that this would be a great shade on someone with fair skin!

2. A nude coloured nail polishI love love love this colour. Yet again, I had been searching the high seas for a perfect nude for my nails and yes I had been buying heapspf nail polishes trying to find it BUT finally oooooh finally I stumbled going the colour I had been dreaming of! And best of all? I happened by it accidentally because it was FREE! I can't say that the packaging is amazing or the wear is great, because no and no to both (chips off easily but) but the colour is right and it's perfect to wear to work!

3. Another lipstick! But from a different collection. This is colour is a very watermelon-y colour (just a shade darker than watermelon) with bits of light reflecting pigments aka shimmer. It doesn't suit me at all so I haven't really worn it but it smells alright (from what I recall). Sorry I can't describe it better I just haven't tested it properly.

4. Mineral finishing veilFor some reason, no matter how hard I try, I'm just not a powder person. I do really want to get into but I just don't like the way it sits on my skin. Every time I try, I end up looking cakey. Then again, I'm not really a matte person so I tend to go for a Dewey and fresh look. The downfall to this is that by the end of the day my foundation has faded and slipped off. I do use the smashbox primer water but from what I've been experiencing with it, it doesn't have much holding power. I know it's a primer but I've read that people also use it as a double for a setting spray. I'll probably have to test this powder out someday, but that day is just not today.

That's about it for my little haul. Have my thoughts changed about MP? Yeah I suppose it has, I may be a little more inclined to try more of their range in the future!

ALSO before I forget, I also have the MP Contour Kit in the medium shade. I brought this a couple of weeks before this haul and just thought that it would be good to also include it in this post. Let's get right into it!

Prior to this, I had never dipped my brushes (see what I did there 😉) into the contouring trend. I, being as curious as ever; decided to try the Australis kit instead of jumping straight into the anastasia kit (which was at the time selling for $80 on beauty bay). Long story short, I dropped the kit a couple of times and it smashed all over my floor. It took quite a while to clean up through my tears (just kidding). But in all seriousness, I smashed my kit and went out to buy this Models Prefer one.

The Australis kit has 6 shades which all feel very powdery almost chalky. ​The yellow banana shade is supposed to set your under eye concealer. From what I recall, I didn't really like it and the same goes for the pinky highlight shade. The colour payoff wasn't too great and didn't add too much to the high points of my cheek. Yet again, I haven't had the time to fully play around with it or really experiment with the contour shades so I can't tell you my exact thoughts just yet.... but I thought I'd include a few pics if you didn't even know it existed. I'm more than happy to do a full review of either kits (MP vs Australis) if anyone would like to read. Just let me know in the comments!

Yet again, here's a post I forgot to well you know.. post. I swear the last few months I've been away, I really lost my marbles. JUST KIDDING. I guess I got caught up in whatever it was I was doing and neglected to post. But I promise you today, I'll be making more regular posts.

Moving on, these were a few things I picked up during the June/July period. As usual, I've included links to stores that I purchased them from that do in fact ship to Australia :)

​A big shout out to my cousin Lina for gifting me with this! This highlighter is my very first step to getting my #highlightonfleek hahaha but in all seriousness, a little of this stuff goes a long way. It's not until I step outside of the house that I notice how much I am actually shimmering... like a disco ball!

My only caveat about highlighters is that I feel it borders between looking like you've been blessed with a glow that only the heavens can bestow upon you... to looking like an oily/sweaty slickfield. All in all, the hype for becca highlighters is true. The colour payoff is amazing and in the end, my only advice would be to start off with a little and slowly add more until you're satisfied with the result. A little definitely does go a long way!

I was never a user of bronzer. I never saw the appeal of adding dark powders to the sides of the face until one day, I looked at myself in the mirror and just went HEY... you're looking kind of flat. Not in the spherical sense but my face just looked flat. One toned and no shadows. Just.. flat. I didn't really know how to create the illusion of more.. dimensions per se but I knew that the products I already had just wouldn't do it. I didn't want to invest a lot of money into a bronzer. I've never tried them and didn't even know if I would like it. So I went out to Chemist Warehouse and came home with the Maybelline Bronzer. Great, I thought to myself. This is a completely different colour from my foundation and it should do the job. Sadly for me, it didn't really. I just ended up looking like a big hot mess. The bronzer was very very orange-y with a high colour pay off. Normally, this would be great but it was just TOO orange.

So yeah...My experience so far wasn't very impressive. However, after Lina's recommendation I decided to give thE Too Faced bronzer a go. I had heard about it many times before by many YouTubers but again, the new-ness of bronzers scared me and I didn't want to take a risk in not liking it. BUT beautybay was having a sale and I ended up throwing it in my cart and hitting confirm super fast. When it arrived I fell in LOVE with the chocolatey smell! Not only that but the pigmentation was beautiful. It's a really nice brown colour and best of all, it looked natural! It's super easy to apply and blend out but it is easily buildable. Translation = adding more product will definitely intensify the colour, but not to a cakey extreme. I'm a big fan of this bronzer and would recommend it to any newbie just stepping into the bronzing world!

After a very long time of experiencing the slipping and sliding of my foundation, and how it wouldn't last the whole day, I decided that enough was enough. I needed to really perfect my base before apply my foundation. I was on a mission to find a good primer and what better place to research than YouTube? I've heard many people say good things about this primer, so I went out and got the mini version. The bottle was tiny for its price point of $25 but you never know until you try, so try I did.

The texture is super light and super airy almost. It's liquidy but not slippery. When you apply it, it kind of makes your skin feel oily. Like a light barrier has been smothered all over the little nooks and crannies of your face. I won't lie, it makes thicker foundations apply like a dream, but to me, it wasn't amazing. Sure it made my foundation last a little bit longer but it just didn't blow my mind or live up to the expectations I had.

GREAT MASCARA. Just great. It has a wet formula which I'm a fan of as to me, it makes my lashes look way more dramatic and darker compared to drier formulas which border on a black/grey colour. The brush allows for you to reach every little lash which really perks up and lifts your eyes. Due to the brush shape, it's easy to separate each lash and end clumping problems and that's what I look for in a mascara. The ability to capture every lash without ending in clump land. Get yours at Chemist Warehouse when the sales are on, usually you'll save at least 40% off! I picked mine up when it was 50% off and got it for just under $10. Would I recommend it? Hell yeah I would!

Last but not least, the Jordana. Another shout out to Lina for hooking me up! This mascara is probably one of the wettest formulas I've come across. I do like it as it is super black and separates my lashes, however I've found that I'm more prone to experience smudging with it - both in the process of applying and after long wear I end up with tiny tiny panda eyes. My biggest complaint was that it doesn't hold a curl. My lashes droop when I wear this and it drives me insane! It's not too bad for the price but I honestly would recommend the Lash Sensational over this one.

WELCOME BACK.I'm alive guys! I kind of dropped off the radar but I'm back and I have quite a few interesting posts lined up. Since it's been such a long time since I've posted, I have a lot of things to share. I've bought quite a few bits and bobs these past couple of months, so you can expect a lot new reviews coming up! GET EXCITED everyone! I've got a whole bunch of new posts lined up and I cannot wait to share them with you!

It's no surprise that new products = new favourites and yet again, everything from skincare to my makeup routine has changed.... So stay tuned everyone, that will probably be coming up next.

Originally, I had planned to write about all these products in the one post. BUT as luck would have it, I couldn't keep my thoughts to a minimum... oops. So instead, I had to break up this haul post into three separate posts, which will be:

Today, I wanted to write up a (rather long) post about my skincare routine. I've been using a whole bunch of new products and felt like it was finally time to share my thoughts with you! I've split this post into two parts, Part 1 is all about the different kinds of cleansers I've been toying with and Part 2 will be all about face creams and eye creams!

It's time to talk about eye creams and moisturisers! I've been obsessing over the latest L'Oreal creams and Philosophy line of products but as I slowly age, I've come to care a lot about my under eye area. I've tested a couple of different creams, some for the face and some for under the eyes.

I know that this is super early in the month to be sharing BUT I had to let you all know about the new songs I have been obsessing over.

Talking Body by Tove Lo as well as SoMo's cover - AMAZING AMAZING cover of this song.

I Think I'm In Love by Kat Dahlia - a new artist I've stumbled upon while trawling through YouTube. She has an amazing voice and her tunes are also really catchy.

Crazy by Kat Dahlia

I Just Wanna by Elijah Blake - Definitely one of the top three of my favourites this month, If you like dance-y songs and songs that you can sing aloud to either on your own or with friends, this is definitely the one.

Waiting For This Love by Austin Mahone - I don't usually listen to Austin Mahone, but I found this song on soundcloud and have been obsessed ever since. It's probably my number 1 favourite this month. As you can tell by the title, it is a pop/rnb love song.

REMIXES - A few of my favourite remixes this month:

Lay Me Down - Epique Remix

I'm In Love With The Coco - Hitimpulse Remix (Also this is the cover by Ed Sheeran. You gotta listen to this ASAP) ----- WINNER OF THIS MONTHS MOST PLAYED

Two stores. Priceline. Chemist Warehouse. Yes, I went in the other day wanting to buy only one nail polish, yet somehow I ended up with more than what I was originally after. I know, I know....I study marketing, yet here I am falling for the old promotion tricks...sigh. Essie had 2 for $20 on their range, so I decided to give it a shot. I used the nail polish the other day and it has a nice smooth and very pigmented formulation. It is however pricey, but then again when is anything really cheap anymore?!

I've also been wanting to try the better skin concealer for quite some time now and Chemist Warehouse had an awesome 50% off the Maybelline range. I've now been using this concealer for a week and a half now and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. So much so that I also went back and bought another one while the sale was still on. It has such a beautiful creamy feel to it, I would say its a higher coverage concealer that really does help hide those imperfections. It doesn't really slip/melt off and if you add a bit of powder regardless of whether it is translucent or not it helps keep it in place all day long! I like it even more so than my Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer - which has been my favourite for about a year and a half now. You get more product and a higher coverage. This concealer is definitely my new favourite and I would not hesitate to recommend it!

I also picked up a new velvet lip liner pencil in the colour nude. I'm not sure what it is with me but I can't ever find a lipstick shade that suits me so I always stick to nudes. I do want to experiment with reds BUT thats a bit too daring for me and although I have one red shade, I just feel it doesn't suit me.. then again it might be that I'm just not used to it yet.

On my second trip to Chemist Warehouse, I picked up a new lipstick. The Maybelline Colour Sensational in Shade 728: Honey Beige. I do like this shade and I pair it with the velvet lip liner - which is more pink-ier than the lipstick. Nonetheless, blending the two together creates a really nice lip shade.

Picked up yet another nail polish, but this time it was just a clear super stay top coat which works really well. AND I had to pick up a new Express Remover as mine was getting too old. If you don't have one of these yet, YOU NEED TO GET ONE. It makes removing polish SO MUCH EASIER. LIFE CHANGER.

Last but not least, I bought a Master Graphic Liner as I wanted to expand my makeup looks and try for a winged liner. BUT after trying it, I don't really know if it really suits me or not. I might have to play with it a lot more first. I do like the idea of a felt pen, however even though I've never tried it, I feel like a gel liner would give me more of the look I'm after.

BEFORE I forget, I picked up a new perfume. The FCUK: Her, Friction. BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SMELL. I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IT. Hints of Vanilla and a bunch of other sweet good stuff. It was only $12.99 and such a good bargain.